Foxborough Passes Reduced Budget Amid Coronavirus

FOXBOROUGH, MA — Residents at Town Meeting last week passed a reduced budget of $84 million for fiscal year 2021 amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The Board of Selectmen scaled back the initial budget proposal for Fiscal year 2021 by almost $2 million. The new budget, which still represents a 3 percent increase from last year, provides existing services and pay its employees and other expenses.

Town Manager William Keegan said the new budget cut positions originally allocated for because of predicted revenue losses from the hotel tax, meals tax and lost revenue from Gillette Stadium, the home of the New England Patriots and the New England Revolution. The venue typically hosts summer concerts as well.

New positions eliminated included a firefighter, a mechanic for the police and fire departments, a youth service librarian and a new health inspector.

Keegan had said the budget was based on a forecast that taxes and other revenue coming into the town would shrink by nearly $2.5 million from initial estimates. Any shortcomings would be made up by the town's financial reserves.

And although all the budget passed with relative ease, there were some who thought the budget wasn't conservative enough for the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the Sun Chronicle reported.

Susan Dring, a former member of the town's Advisory Board, said the $10 million revenue forecast used to construct the budget was overly optimistic.

"This is at least $1 million over budget," Dring said.

School Committee Chair Tina Belanger defended the budget and said increasing spending in schools was necessary because of the state's special education mandates. Selectmen Chair Mark Elfman said town officials did "an incredible job" in preparing the budget, but admitted adjustments may need to be made in the fall.